Shoe quarter and method of forming same



April 13, 1943. QUINN ETAL 2,316,363

SHOE'QUARTER AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME Filed June 16, 1941 PatentedApr. 13, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SHOE QUARTER AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME Application June 15, 1941,Serial No. 398,280

ll) Claims.

This invention relates to shoe quarters and methods of making, and moreparticularly to the treatment of the parts of a quarter to be joined ina back seam.

In the manufacture of shoes, it is common practice to form the quarterof two parts stitched together in a back seam. The parts of the quarterare usually stitched together while the parts are held back-to-back orwith their grain surfaces in contact. When the quarter is turned rightside out, the seam extensions on the inside of the quarter present abulky seam ridge, which may be reduced by heat and pressure. While thismethod and the resulting product have been found reasonablysatisfactory, the appearance of the resulting product is not always asneat as could be desired. This is particularly true if the quarter ismade of heavy upper leather. When the quarter is turned right side out,the parts thereof are turned partially back upon themselves along thesides of the seam, and the thickness of the materials prevents turningthe parts about as small a radius as desired. The result of this is thatthe material bulges at the sides of the seam. While this bulging may besomewhat reduced by stretching the sides of the quarter from the backseam, this often results in making the stitches visible, which detractsfrom the appearance of the quarter.

To overcome the disadvantages of the conventional back seam constructionpointed out above, and in accordance with a feature of the presentinvention, the parts of the quarter are reduced in thickness adjacent toand inwardly of the line of stitching. This is accomplished by forming agroove in the flesh side of each part of the quarter substantiallyparallel to and, inwardly of the edge to be joined in the back seam. Thethin portions of leather remaining after the formation of the groovesform hinges about which the parts are turned relative to the seam ridgeformed by stitching the parts together. This permits the parts of thequarter to be turned about a smaller radius than is otherwise possibleand eliminates excessive bulging of the material at the sides of theseam.

To provide adequate strength to the back seam,

the stitches pass through the parts of the quarter inwardly of the edgesa substantial amount to minimize the danger of thestitches tearingthrough the leather at the back seam when the upper is pulled over alast. The edges of the parts of the quarter to be joined are convexlycurved, and after the parts have been stitched together and the quarterturned right side out, the

curvature of the seam is reversed and the length of the seam ridge isdecreased so that the material forming the seam ridge must be compressedin order to conform the back seam to the curvature of the last.Thenecessity of compressing the material renders it more diflicult toproduce the correct curvature at the back seam than it would be if therewere less material projecting beyond the stitches and forming the seamridge. In accordance with a further feature-of the invention, the edgesof the parts of the quarter, which are joined in the back seam, arpinked, the bottoms of the notches thus formed lying between the pointsat which the stitches pass through the material. This permits asufficient width of material to project outwardly from the pointsthrough which the stitches pass to minimize the danger of the stitchestearing through the material. Th notches thus formed by the pinkingfacilitate turning the quarter right side out and changing the curvatureof the seam from convex to concave, as the notches obviate the necessityof compressing the material to any appreciable extent as the length ofthe edge of the seam ridge is reduced.

These and other features of the invention will now be described indetail and illustrated in the drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the two parts of a quarterconstructed according to the present invention as they appear after theyhave been stitched together but before the quarter has been turned rightside out;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the back seam of the quarter ofFig. 1 after the quarter has been turned right side out; p

Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the back seam of a quarterconstructed in a conventional manner; 7

Fig. 4 is a perspective view, partly in section, showing the interior ofa quarter constructed according to the present invention, after the seamextensions have been laid back;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion of the quarter before it has beenturned right side out; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical section through the back seam illustrating the seamridge after the quarter has been turned right side out.

Referring to Fig. 1, parts HI and 12 of a quarter are shown inback-to-back relationship secured together by a line of stitches I4passing through the parts It and I2 inwardly of. the adjacent edges ofthe parts. Grooves [6 are formed in the flesh surfaces of the parts, thegrooves being located inwardly from the line of stitches l4 andextending substantially parallel to the edges of the parts. The line ofstitches preferably passes through the parts of the quarter along theouter edges of the grooves. These grooves may be formed either before orafter the parts have been stitched toegther. The grooves leave thinnerportions which act as hinges to facilitate turning the quarter from theinside-out position of Fig. 1 to the right-side-out position illustratedin Fig. 2, the material partially filling the grooves and minimizingbulging of the material at the sides of the seam. Fig. 3 shows aconventional back seam construction in which the parts If! and 12' ofthe quarter are of uniform thickness and illustrates the bulges l8 thatare formed alongside the back seam when the quarter is turned right sideout. A comparison of Figs. 2 and 3 illustrates that a flatter back seamis formed when the thicknesses of the parts of the quarter are reducedadjacent to the seam, permitting the turning of the parts of the quarterabout a sharper radius than is possible if theparts of the quarter areof substantially uniform thickness throughout.

The parts ofthe quarter extend outwardly from the stitches [4 asubstantial distance to form seam extensions 20 which are pinked to forma seriesof V notches 22. The bottoms of these notches lie between thepoints 24 at which the stitches pass through the parts of the quarter,as indicated in Figs. 1, 5, and 6. These notches facilitate turning thequarter right side out after the parts thereof have been stitchedtogether by reducing the compression of the seam ridge, comprising theseam extensions 2!], required during the reversal of the curvature ofthe seam ridge from convex, as indicated in Fig. 5, to concave, asindicated in Fig. 6 with its consequent reduction in length. However,the material extends outwardly of the row of stitches a substantialdistance at the points where the stitches pass through the parts of thequarter, thereby to .avoid the danger of the stitches pulling throughthematerlal when the quarterls stretched over a last. A seam ridgepinked as illustrated thus has the requisite strength without hinderingtheturning of the quarter into its right-side-out condition. The seamridge is preferably pinked during the stitching operation, thus insuringthe correct relationship of the stitches to the notches formed by thepinking operation, although the pinking operation may take place eitherbefore .or after the parts of the quarterare stitched The groovedportions l6 of the quarter are coated with adhesive, this coating ofadhesive preferably extending inwardly of the grooves; as illustrated inFig. '1. After the quarter has been turned right side out, the seamextensions 20 are turned back so that the flesh surfaces thereof engagethe flesh surfaces of the respective parts of the quarter and theadhesive, which has been previously applied-thereto, holds the seamextensions in place, as illustrated in Fig. 4. One method of laying backthe seam extensions is to press the sides of the quarter along the backseam together after the quarter is in the right-side-out condition ofFig. 2 which will cause the flesh surfaces of the seam ridge to beengaged by the ad jacent surfaces of the quarter, the adhesive which has:been previously applied holding the'seam extensions in place, afterwhich the quarter may again be opened up, as shown in Fig. 4. By thuslaying down the seam extensions, there is no seam ridge on the inside ofthe finished quarter which must be reduced as is customary with aconventional quarter of the type illustrated in Fig. 3. It should beunderstood that any other suitable method may be employed for layingback the seam extensions.

It will now be seen that a quarter constructed as described abovepresents a back seam which is free from the excessive bulging commonlyencountered in conventional quarters. Furthermore, the treatment of theseam ridge by pinking it facilitates turning the quarter right side outand obtaining the proper curvature along the back seam.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The method of forming two-part shoe quarters which comprises forminga groove in the flesh side of each part inwardly of but near the edge tobe joined and extending substantially parallel thereto, securing theparts together in back-to-back relation by a line of stitching passingthrough portions of the quarter of full thickness outwardly of and alongthe outer edges of the grooves, turning the quarter right side out, andlaying back the extensions of the seam thus formed.

2. The method of forming two-part shoe quarters which comprises forminga groove in the flesh side of each part inwardly of out near the edge tobe joined and extending substantially parallel thereto, securing theparts together in back-to-back relation by a line of stitching passingthrough portions of the quarter of full thickg ness outwardly of andalong the outer edges of the grooves, applying adhesive to the fleshsides of the parts along the grooves and inwardly thereof, turning theassembled quarter right side out, laying back the extensions of the seamagainst the flesh surfaces of the quarters inwardly of the line ofstitching, and applying pressure to secure the seam extensions in placeby the adhesive.

3. The method of forming two-part shoe quarrs which comprises forming agroove in the flesh side of each part inwardly of but near the edge tobe joined and extending substantially parallel thereto, securing theparts together in back-to-back relation by a line of stitching passingthrough portions of the quarter of full thickness along a line outwardlyof and immediately adjacent to the outer edges of the grooves andsimultaneously pinking the extensions of the seam thus formed, turningthe assembled quarter right side out, and laying back the extensions ofthe seam. V

4. The method of forming two-part shoe quarters which comprises forminga groove in the flesh side of each part inwardly of but near the edge tobe joined and extending parallel thereto, securing the parts together inback-to-back relation by a line of stitching passing through portions ofthe quarter of full thickness along a line outwardly of and immediatelyadjacent to the outer edges of the grooves, applying adhesive to theflesh sides of the parts from the line of stitching inwardly of theinner edges of the grooves, turning the assembled quarter right sideout, and laying back the extensions of the seam and securing them by theadhesive to the flesh surfaces of the respective parts inwardly of theline of stitching.

5. A quarter assembly comprising two quarter parts secured together bystitching to form a back seam, each of said parts being reduced inthickness inwardly of but immediately adjacent to the line of stitching,the line of stitching passing through portions of the quarter of fullthickness.

6. A quarter assembly comprising two quarter parts secured together bystitching to form a back seam, each of said parts being reduced inthickness inwardly of but immediately adjacent to the line of stitching,the line of stitching passing through portions of the quarter of fullthickness, the seam extensions on the inside of the quarter being laidback upon the adjacent surfaces of the respective parts.

7. A quarter assembly comprising two quarter parts secured together bystitching to form a back seam, each of said parts being reduced inthickness inwardly of but immediately adjacent to the line of stitching,the line of stitching passing through portions of the quarter of fullthickness, the seam extensions on the inside of the quarter being laidback and adhesively secured upon the adjacent surfaces of the respectiveparts.

8. A quarter assembly comprising two quarter parts secured together bystitching to form a back seam, each of said parts having groovesinwardly of but immediately adjacent to the line of stitching andextending substantially parallel thereto, the line of stitching passingthrough portions of the quarter of full thickness, the seam extensionson the inside of the quarter being pinked, the bottoms of the notchesformed thereby lying between the points at which the stitches passthrough the parts of the quarter.

9. A quarter assembly comprising two quarter parts secured together bystitching to form a back seam, each of said parts having groovesinwardly of but immediately adjacent to the line of stitching andextending substantially parallel thereto, the line of stitching passingthrough portions of the quarter of full thickness, the seam extensionson the inside of the quarter being pinked, the bases of the notchesformed thereby lying between the points at which the stitches passthrough the parts of the quarter, the seam extensions being laid backupon the adjacent surfaces of the respective parts.

10. A quarter assembly comprising two quarter parts secured together bystitching to form a back seam, each of said parts having groovesinwardly of but immediately adjacent to the line of stitching andextending substantially parallel thereto, the line of stitching passingthrough portions of the quarter of full thickness, the seam extensionson the inside of the quarter being pinked, the bottoms of the notchesformed thereby lying between the points at which the stitches passthrough the parts of the quarter, the seam extensions being laid backand adhesively secured to the adjacent surfaces of the respective parts.

EDWARD QUINN. ADRIEN L. JALBERT.

